Autoclave shell construction



Oct. 22, 1968 A. B. HUSTON 3,407,027

AUTOCLAVE SHELL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 13, 1964 FIG.I

INVENTOR.

ALFRED B. HUSTON 3,407,027 AUTOCLAVE SHELL CONSTRUCTION Alfred B.Huston, Erie, Pa., 'assignor to American Sterilizer Company, Erie, Pa.,a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 13, 1964, Ser. No. 366,969 2Claims. (Cl. 21-91) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In the present invention,it has been found possible to reduce the thickness of skins of bulksterilizers by spacing them apart to provide the strength requirementsand to provide the proper stress design. The end ring design is suchthat it is possible to keep the door arms shorter than prior designs.The spacing angle welded to the end ring makes it possible to provide acorrosion-proofsealing surface and locking arm support with a minimumamount of material and effort.

This invention relates to pressure chambers and, more particularly, toautoclaves. I

The purpose of this invention is to provide an autoclave chamber and endring structure with clamping arrangement so designed that the outershell may be made of plain structural steel and the inner shell and endring may be made of a high quality corrosion resistant material. Thechamber is so designed that the corrosive gases will not come in contactwith the outer shell and end ring. Therefore, they may be made of lowquality, inexpensive material where structural strength is required.

Present sterilizers are expensive and difficult to fabricate in largesizes. In order to make a simple and eflicient chamber, it has beendiscovered that it is possible to make bulk sterilizers with one-fourthinch nickel clad inner shell and not over five-sixteenth inch outershell. To obtain the strength required for large wall areas and higherpressures, these working skins may be spaced apart according to strengthrequirements to obtain the proper stress design. The end ring designdisclosed herein keeps the door arms short. The spacing angle welded toa true end ring makes it possible to form a corrosion proof sealingsurface and locking arm support inexpensively.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide animproved autoclave chamber.

Another object of the invention is to provide an autoclave with a spacedinner shell and outer shell, the inner shell being made of corrosionresistant material and an end fastening ring of corrosion resistantmaterial attached to the inner shell for attaching door fastenersthereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide an autoclave which issimple in construction, economical to manufacture, and simple andeificient in operation.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consistsof the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes maybe made in the form, size, proportions, and minor details ofconstruction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view partly in cross section of a chamber according tothe invention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

Now with more particular reference to the drawing, the chamber 10 shownhas an inner shell 14 and an outer shell 12 and a door 11. The rear endof the chamber is nited States Patent ice closed by an end member 17.The outer shell 12 is connected to the inner shell at the door end by anend ring 15 fastening ring 25 is Welded to the end ring 15 at 23 and'tothe inner shell 14' at 29. The end ring 15 iswelded to the inner shellat 27 and to the outer shell at 22. The outer shell 12 and inner shell14 are held in spaced relation by stay bars 28.

The fastening ring 25 is made of angle shaped material having anoutwardly directed end flange 21 with spaced opening 24 therein toreceive the outer ends of the door arm 20. The connection between theinner shell 14 and thefastening ring 25 will be a gas tight connectionto provide a continuous inside surface of the material of which thesetwo members are made to the gas inside the chamber.

The inner shell 14 and the fastening ring 25 will be made of highcorrosion resistant material while the outer shell 12 and the end ring15 may be made of flange grade material. These flange grade materialsare lower in cost than the corrosion resistant material and, therefore,it is possible to make a structurally strong chamber utilizing the lowcost material for structural strength while the lining and fasteningring 25 are made up of more expensive material.

The arms 20 for the door 11 are of conventional design common to thistype of chamber. The door has a suitable seal 26 engaging the fasteningring 25.

The chamber may be provided with a suction line 19 and a drain line 18,which may be of conventional construction.

It will be seen that the chamber is made of a double walled constructionwherein the only high quality material is the inner shell 14 and thefastening ring 25. By utilizing the structure disclosed herein, it ispossible to make the large bulk sterilizers and autoclaves of thinnerinner shell material and to space the inner and outer shells apart asdesired to obtain the required strength without regard to the length ofthe door arms 20. To obtain the strength requirement for large wallareas and high pres sures, these working skins would be spaced furtherapart accordingly to obtain the proper structural strength. This wouldnecessitate a different approach to end ring design to keep the doorarms as short as practical. This is accomplished by the structuredisclosed herein more economically and inexpensively.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferredpractical forms but the structure shown is capable of modificationwithin a range of equivalents without departing from the invention whichis to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with theappended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. an autoclave comprising an inner shell made of a first corrosiveresistant material and defining a chamber,

an outer shell spaced from said inner shell and made of a secondmaterial,

an end ring made of said second material connecting said inner shell tosaid outer shell,

a fastening ring made of said first material and overlying a part ofsaid end ring adjacent said inner shell around its entire circumference,

said fastening ring being welded to the end of said inner shell aroundits entire circumference providing a gas tight connection therewith,

a door,

sealing means on said door engaging said fastening ring,

and means on said fastening ring engaging fastening 3 4 means on saiddoor for holding said door in closed and arms overlying said door andhaving ends disrelation, posed in said openings. said inner shellextending axially outward beyond id Outer h ll References Cited said endring being attached to the outer periphery of 5 UNITED STATES PATENTSsaid inner shell and said end ring resting against the end of said outershell and welded thereto. fil Sita 2. The autoclave recited 1n claim 1wherein 3,261,627 7/1966 Wander] nun-Li:- 292 6 said means on saidfastening ring compnises outwardly directed flanges,

Spaced p g in said g 10 JAMES H. TAYMAN, JR., Primary Exammer.

